Trade Talk: Better Business Bureau busy in 2013

The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota set a record in 2013 for the number of inquiries it received from the public.

The agency received 3.6 million inquiries, which included visits to its website, requests for information and reviews, and complaints, according to the bureau’s 2013 statistical report.

In the complaint department, the agency logged more than 24,000 last year, roughly the same number as the previous year.

The 2013 report states the bureau helped resolve 90 percent of the complaints it received.

Complaints can be resolved in a number of ways, ranging from a customer deciding they were satisfied with a suggested solution, to the Better Business Bureau concluding there was no basis for the complaint to begin with, said Dan Hendrickson, communications director for the agency.

Most complaints the agency received last year were related to used-car dealers and automotive repair shops, followed by new-car dealers, siding contractors, and construction and remodeling services.

The report said complaint resolution rates for the used- and new-car industries were 91 percent and 99 percent, respectively. Both numbers were above average for Better Business Bureaus nationwide.

Moorhead shop expands

Matt’s Automotive Service Center in Moorhead is growing.

Matt Lachowitzer started the business about five years ago in the back of a building at 1234 1st Ave N., in Moorhead.

He eventually bought the entire building, expanding his shop from a single work bay to eight.

The shop now has a full-time staff of 10.

Also, Lachowitzer has just opened a second location at 3007 Main Ave. in Fargo, where he employs four full-time staff.

The shops perform a wide variety of services from car and transmission repair to small-engine work on things like lawnmowers and weed-eaters.

Lachowitzer said a big part of the business is fleet work for a variety of businesses.